Sunspots, the solar cycle and space weather

Grade 9 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Sunspot drawing: 3 groups, 14 spots in all. Bo counts 3 sunspot groups with 14 spots in all. What is the sunspot number (10 × groups + spots, NOAA)?

   • 30, from the groups alone
   • 17, adding groups and spots
   • 44
   • 140, ten for each spot
2. 2.

   a blank solar disk. For a week, Jun sees no sunspot groups and no spots. What does this suggest?

   • The solar cycle has stopped for good
   • Sunspots are hiding behind brighter spots
   • The Sun is near solar minimum
   • The Sun is at solar maximum

3. Read this first

   Yearly sunspot number (model data shaped like Cycle 24)

   Year	Sunspot number
   2009	3
   2012	85
   2014	115
   2017	22
   2019	4

4. 3.

   About how many years did this cycle take to go from minimum to maximum, by Kira's math?

   • About 5 years
   • About 11 years
   • About 2 years
   • About 10 years, from 2009 to 2019
5. 4.

   NOAA says Cycle 25 began in December 2019. If it lasts about 11 years, about when should it end, by Luz's math?

   • Around 2041
   • Around 2030
   • Around 2020
   • Around 2025, at maximum
6. 5.

   Near solar maximum, satellites in low orbit slow down faster. Why, by Milo's reading (NOAA)?

   • The Sun heats the upper air, lifting denser air to their height
   • Sunspots pull satellites with gravity
   • The upper atmosphere shrinks at maximum
   • Satellites run out of fuel faster in sunlight

7. NOAA G scale

   Level	Kp	Average per 11-year cycle
   G1	5	1,700
   G3	7	200
   G5	9	4

8. 6.

   A storm measures Kp = 7. Which G level is it, by Noah's reading?

   • G1, minor
   • G7
   • G3, strong
   • G5, extreme
9. 7.

   About how many G5 storms happen in an average 11-year cycle, by Pia's reading?

   • About 1,700, like G1
   • About 4
   • About 200
   • They do not happen
10. 8.

    How can a geomagnetic storm affect long power lines, by Tala's reading (NOAA)?

    • Flare light melts the wires
    • Auroras strike the lines like lightning
    • Changing magnetic fields induce extra currents in the lines
    • Sunspots heat the wires directly
11. 9.

    A flare's X-rays cause a high-frequency radio blackout. Where on Earth, by Zee's reading (NOAA)?

    • On the night side, away from the Sun
    • On the sunlit side, in high-frequency radio
    • In underground cables
    • Everywhere, three days later
12. 10.

    “not to scale” A CME leaves the Sun at 1,500 km/s and travels 150 million km to Earth. About how many hours does it take, by Ari's math?

    • About 100 hours
    • About 8 minutes
    • About 11 years
    • About 28 hours